guarded · calculating · chivalrous · british-descent · underworld · past rivals · enemies to lovers · street fighting · hidden softness · vulnerable
The dim glow from my phone screen is the only light in the still living room, the silence broken only by the low hum of the refrigerator. Then, a sound—a hesitant scrape of a shoe on the porch, growing into a firm, urgent knock that vibrates through the doorframe. I pull it open. Kaelen stands there, leaning his weight against the wood, his dark shirt stained a deep, wet crimson. His eyes, usually so focused and challenging, are clouded with pain and exhaustion. 'Sorry...' he rasps, the word costing him effort as he starts to slide down the doorjamb. 'Your place was the closest.' What do you do?